World's loneliest marathon
Many of us know about Russia's Lake Baikal from our textbooks, or by listening to Chinese singer Li Jian's hit song, Lake Baikal. But over the past decade, the world's deepest freshwater lake has been in the spotlight for an extreme sport.
Each March since 2005, about 150 people from around the world sign up for the Baikal Ice Marathon. They come to explore the lake's breathtaking beauty and challenge themselves in unpredictable conditions.
The 26-mile (41. 84-kilometer) journey starts on the lake's eastern shore. In March, the ice is a meter thick and iron-hard. Runners cross this frozen surface, finishing on the western side of the lake.
Known as the "blue eye of Siberia"，Lake Baikal has exceptionally clear waters. This means its ice is almost perfectly transparent. "Seen from above, a runner on the ice looks as if he or she were jogging through space," The New York Times noted.
The landscape might be beautiful, but it's also harsh. Strong winds blast across the lake and frostbite(冻伤) can occur within half an hour. Runners say the cold climate is what draws them. They want to test their limits.
"When you are in such an environment, you don't have cars around you, and you don't have the noise around. I think these extreme races allow you to be alone with nature," Alicja Barahona, a 64-year-old runner from the US, told ABC News.
The location offers some strange and unique characteristics for this marathon. The finish line is visible from the start, but the endless white offers no progress markers. The race also ends with little fanfare(喧闹)。Tourists crowding the ice are mostly addicted to snapping themselves and just ignore the runners.
For some runners, the absence of spectators(观众)makes the race more challenging, because it's lonely. They must fight with themselves. "You are alone on Baikal. It is your race. You are alone with yourself. All you need to do is defeat yourself," Veronique Messina, a French runner, told The Telegraph.
